Etisalat is key sponsor of GCC e-Commerce Conference

This conference will be held in Abu Dhabi on November 20th and 21st 2005, under the patronage of HH General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister.

Mohammad Hassan Omran, Chairman and CEO, Etisalat, said: "Etisalat sponsoring this event comes alongside our initiatives- past, present and future- that Etisalat has undertaken to create a digital economy in the UAE. This conference is timely, and will help to further drive e-Commerce across the GCC and wider region."

"Under the wise leadership we enjoy here, the UAE has grown by leaps and bounds in terms of providing state-of-the-art telecom and network services, especially in enabling high-speed access to the Internet. E-Government and e-Business initiatives have been pioneered and have taken off in an encouraging way. Digital readiness and e-Government acceptance are important indicators when benchmarking a country's progress. These are elements that help define the amount of foreign investment and the country's role in the global economy," he added.

For consumers and businesses, e-Commerce is the better choice for the easy process it affords, as well as the speed with which information can be accessed or transmitted. Official transactions and tendering processes become possible with minimum investments of time and effort.

Pockets of users have expressed concern about the perceived lack of security in using the Internet for official transactions. Omran said that eCompany, Etisalat's Internet powerhouse, provides its clients with best of breed anti-virus and anti-intrusion applications, as well as complete e-Commerce solutions. eCompany is an award-winner for its solutions, and is currently connecting the UAE with broadband access at competitive rates.

The 1st GCC e-Commerce Conference is being organized by the UAE Ministry of Economy and Planning, UAE General Information Authority, and the General Secretariat of GCC Chambers of Commerce and Industry.